The ingredients
For a tray bake for about two people, you will need:
500 grams of vegetables
Got a floppy leek or a wrinkly pepper hiding in a corner of your fridge? Don't throw it away! The great thing about tray bakes is that you can use up all your leftover vegetables. Think of hard vegetables such as carrots and pumpkin, or softer vegetables like peppers, leeks, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, spring onions, courgettes, aubergines, Brussels sprouts (trust me!) and asparagus. Don't forget a (red) onion and a few cloves of garlic too!
400 grams of potatoes
Potatoes are the perfect filling for your tray bake. Go for baby potatoes (with skin), sweet potatoes or just a classic potato. If you use regular potatoes, cut them into wedges and pre-cook. Or even easier: get a bag of pre-cooked potato wedges. This saves you the trouble of cutting and cooking ;).
200 grams of meat/fish/substitutes
Next, add one or more protein sources of your choice. If you choose meat, go for something that cooks fairly quickly, like meatballs or chopped sausage. Fish, like salmon, works very good too! Prefer your tray bake vegetarian? Then try vegetarian meatballs, falafel, tofu or halloumi, for example.
Oil
Oil helps everything roast nicely and adds extra flavour. Use oil that can withstand high temperatures, so no linseed oil or extra virgin olive oil. Mild olive oil or sunflower oil is always a good choice!
Herbs and spices
We're not done yet: your tray bake also needs a bit of spice! Choose flavours that you like and that match the ingredients you've chosen. No inspiration? Italian seasoning, paprika, Provençal herbs or curry powder always works well! And don't forget the salt and pepper, of course ;).
The finishing touch
Want to make your tray bake even tastier or impress your housemates? Garnish it with your favourite toppings when it comes out of the oven. Try, for example:
- Fresh herbs, such as basil or parsley;
- Roasted nuts, seeds or kernels;
- Cheese, such as crumbled feta or creamy burrata;
- Sauce! Choose your favourite ready-made sauce, such as crème fraîche or mayonnaise, or make your own. A quick sauce of Greek yoghurt, herbs, salt, pepper and a crushed clove of garlic goes with everything!
The basic recipe
- Preheat the oven to 180-200°C.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices or cubes. If you are using baby potatoes, you don't need to peel them. Just wash them well and cut them in half.
- Clean the vegetables, peel them if necessary, and cut them into even pieces. Are you using hard vegetables? Chop them into smaller pieces or pre-boil them.
- Cut the onion into rings or wedges and cut off the tops of your unpeeled garlic cloves.
- Mix the potatoes, vegetables, onion and meat (if applicable) in a bowl and drizzle with oil and herbs. Mix well and spread the mixture on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Add the garlic cloves too. Note: Keep fish and meat substitutes separate for now. These do not need to be in the oven for long.
- Roast your tray bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven. After 20 minutes, give it a stir and add your fish or meat substitutes. Bake for another 10 minutes. Your tray bake is ready when you can easily pierce your vegetables and potatoes, and your meat or fish is cooked through.
- Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and toss them through the traybake.
- Serve with your toppings and sauce.
Recipes
Need some inspiration? Try one of these recipes:
As you can see, making a tray bake is not difficult at all. Bon appétit!
